2000:0941 - RATHDUFF, Golden, Tipperary

The proposed development and construction of a dormer-type dwelling may have an impact on an enclosure site. This enclosure was not visible or apparent from the ground level during the site inspection but was recorded by aerial photography. The test-trenches were aligned in accordance with the cropmarks but also in accordance with the site of the construction. Of the nine test-trenches that were to be opened on the site, only two were excavated on 6 and 7 June 2000.

Trench 1 was opened on the south-south-east of the site, in the proposed location of the reserve percolation area. It was orientated east–west and was 3.9m by 1.4m. After removal of the sod and the topsoil-like deposits, a linear to curved cut feature was uncovered c. 0.4m below ground level. The full extent of the cut was not uncovered, but it was a minimum of 0.22m in depth. It was wide on top (c. 1m) and became narrower towards the base (c. 0.25m). The trench was extended by c. 1m2 to try to obtain further information concerning this feature. The cut was filled by a light brown to orange, sandy material, which contained sparse pockets of gravel and sparse flecks of charcoal, and by a thin layer of mid-grey/beige, sandy, gravelly deposit. This cut truncated a thick deposit of sandy, gravelly composition. Small fragments of shells and one fragment of burnt bone were uncovered within this deposit.

Trench 2 was opened in the proposed location of the septic tank area, on the south-west of the site. It was orientated north–south and was 2.8m by 1.2m. The location of the trench was also determined by the presence of a patch of nettles, which coincided with the proposed location of the septic tank. As with Trench 1, archaeological features were uncovered after removal of the sod and the topsoil-like materials. A wide, linear feature, interpreted as a ditch feature, was exposed c. 0.4m below ground level. An upcast deposit was exposed to the north of the trench. It consisted of a redeposited material, greyish-beige in colour. It was a compact, sandy material mixed with pockets of mid-brown, silty, sandy clay. The full width and depth of the feature were not exposed, as the owner of the site stopped the excavation. In Trench 2, this feature ran in a south-west/north-east direction. The other edge of the cut was not exposed in Trench 2. The northern edge of the cut was very sharp. The known fills of the ditch were excavated to a depth of 0.5m below the top of the cut but were not bottomed. The upper fill was a light to mid-brown, sandy clay. It contained sparse flecks of charcoal, occasional shells and animal bones. It overlay a fill slightly darker in colour. This lower fill, which seemed to contain frequent stones, was not excavated and was left in situ. This ditch-like feature certainly coincided with the presence of the enclosure visible on the aerial photograph.

No datable finds were exposed during the testing, resulting in the date of the enclosure and the features remaining unknown. While the wide feature exposed in Trench 2 was recorded as a ditch feature, the interpretation of the linear feature in Trench 1 remained inconclusive. The conclusions and the recommendations issued from the testing resulted in the refusal of planning permission.